Of Cats, Curses, and Giant Robots?
by insertbandnamehere
Summary: Fruits Basket/IGPX Crossover, different curse. Team Sohmei's The newest IG 1 team to hit the track. Cats, Rock music, and orange hair seem to be the perfect fomula for love, but will the track they love so much tear them apart? Kyoxamy. R&R would be cool.
1. Don't you hate parties?

Ok people, this is my first attempt at fanfics, be at least not evil, and stupid, and stupid, and evil in your reviews.

**Of Cats, Curses, and Giant Robots  
****Chapter 1:  
**"**Don't you hate parties?"**

Note:

"Hi."Normal speech

"_Hi."_Thoughts/mindspeech

"_The past is the past, and the future is the future. A man is a man, and a woman is a woman. I am who I am, and you are who you are. Like it really matters anyway..."_

_- Faye Valentine (Cowboy Bebop)_

_"Man, this place is totally packed!" _Thought Amy Stapleton, as she forced through the packed room along with her team. This room was so familiar to her, even though she came here only twice a year. Team Satomi had stood up on the stage in the back of the spacious room last time, proclaiming their Second IG 1 championship win, and partying their asses off. Well, Takeshi and Liz did all the partying. Amy had never liked parties. She had always preferred to talk to Luca, her cat, who was currently curled up in her arms, as he was technically part of the team. He yawned.

"_So, another year, another IG season."_

_"Yeah." _Replied Amy, in her mind. That's what made Luca special. He could communicate with Amy via cybernetic mind link. That, and he was really smart.

"_Wow. You sound enthusiastic." _Said Luca

"_I swear," _sighed Amy in her mind _"Cats have no grasp of sarcasm."_

_"Whatever. The new team is being announced, and you haven't blinked in about 85 seconds. It's a wonder people haven't freaked yet."_

Amy cut off the mental link, and focused on the room. That was one negative effect of the link. Whenever she was talking to Luca, she didn't blink at all. Her teammates had gotten used to it, but it still freaked people out, also, her thoughts and dreams were never safe from him, which really sucked sometimes.

The Newest IG 1 team was standing on the stage, waiting for the muttering to subside. There was a guy with dyed white hair and jet black eyes, who looked like he was about 23, wearing a black suit with a white silk tie. On his right, there was a pretty girl who looked to be about 19, with chocolate eyes in a dark red China dress with black designs, and her mahogany hair up in buns.

In front of both of them was the least formally dressed of all of them. He had orange hair, which was mostly hidden under a black beany with the kanji for cat in white on the front. He had 3 rings in his right eyebrow, and various ear piercings. He wore a black button down shirt, untucked, and black pants, that gradually flared to burnt orange at the bottoms, over black converse with different colored laces. He looked to be around Amy's age, 16, and had the strangest eyes she had ever seen. They were yellow, like a cat's, and the pupils were slightly slitted. He wore a black choker with a cat bell on it, and had his hands in his pockets. The murmurs had finally stopped, and the announcer lifted his microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please? This year's newest additions to the IG 1 circuit are the rising stars of Team Sohmei! All three members are also the three leading members of the punk band "Dead for A Week". Their defender is "Black" Hatsuharu Sohmei, Soft spoken, but that has nothing to do with how he fights!" The white haired man raised his hand and smiled politely,

"Defender?" whispered Liz, "the guy doesn't look like he'd have the heart to hit a mosquito! And what's up with the nickname?"

the announcer was continuing his announcement after the polite applause for Haru. "Sohmei's Midfielder is the lovely Kagura Sohmei! Don't let the pretty face distract you, this girl's got skill!"

There was more applause, but mixed in with a few wolf whistles. Amy shook her head. "_Men_." She was glad Takeshi hadn't been one of the whistlers, but for one, he was still dating Fontine, and also Liz would've murdered him, brought him back from the dead, and then murdered him again.

"And Finally, we have Team Satomi's Forward, Kyo Sohmei, also well known as "The Black Cat"! This guy's probably the best forward since Takeshi Jin, and twice as crazy!" Amy saw Takeshi lick his lips at the prospect of a serious challenger. Amy could guess exactly what was going through his mind. "Would the members of Team Sohmei like to say a few words before we open this year's IG season?" said the announcer, passing the mic to Kyo, who passed it to Haru.

"I'd just like to say that I look forward to this season, and that I feel sorry for anyone who underestimates us." Said Haru politely. He passed the mic to Kagura.

"I'm hyped up for this year, cause this season, we take the gold! CHA!" Kagura yelled, and then tossed the mic to Kyo.

"Listen up everypeoples, you at the top spot better watch your backs, cause we're fully loaded and gunning for first place!"

"Looks like Sohmei's pretty pumped up, people, watch out for them!" said the Announcer, who had reclaimed his mic, "I now pronounce the 49th IGPX season officially started!"

A rousing cheer went up throughout the room, and team Sohmei left the stage to mingle.

Amy talked for a bit with team Whitesnow's Defender, Judy Ballastros. After last year's season, they had made amends, and became fast friends. After that, she stepped out, to the balcony, and leaned on the balcony, gazing at the massive track suspended far above the city. She was lost in memories of her past two IG 1 seasons. She was replaying one particularly fun race with team Edgeraid when she looked to her right, to see the Sohmei forward leaning on the balcony as well. She yelped in surprise, and somehow, tripped over herself and fell. The boy's eyes widened, and before she could think, strong arms were supporting her back, and helping her stand up. "Are you ok?" asked the boy. He had a nice voice, she thought. It wasn't too deep, and radiated warmth and laughter. He was about 2 inches taller than Amy, which put him at 5' 7" to her 5' 5".

"Oh, yeah. Stupid shoes. Never jump while wearing heels."

The boy didn't miss a beat." I'll keep that in mind." He said, and she laughed.

"My name's Amy Stapleton. We haven't been properly introduced."

"I'm Kyo Sohmei. I've watched you race before. You guys are good, but you won't beat us!"

Amy chuckled. "I wouldn't be so sure. Oh, this is my cat Luca." The cat stretched out in her arms, and then looked at Kyo, startled.

"_Amy, He said Hi to me!"_

_"What?"_

_"Inside my mind!"_

Amy looked at the orange-headed boy, shocked.

"Yeah, I can hear Luca's thoughts. This is Sola, by the way." An orange cat crawled onto Kyo's shoulder, sat down, and cocked its head to the side.

"_Konichiwa, Stapleton-san!"_ a female voice said inside Amy's head

"So you have a cybernetic link with your cat too?" said Amy, after sending a slightly puzzled return greeting to the cat.

"Yeah. She's very Japanese."

"She's a very pretty cat."

"Hm."

Luca and Sora were looking at each other, obviously communicating. Both Felines jumped off their owners and walked over to a plant on the other side of the balcony, still talking.

"They've made friends already." Said Kyo, as a waiter carrying a tray of wine and glasses.

"Would you like anything, sir?

"What do you got with alcohol in it?" said Kyo, mischief in his eyes. Amy giggled, and the waiter was about to speak when Kyo cut him off. "I'll just have champagne."

(A.N. The drinking age in this story is sixteen. Same with the driving age. And don't complain, or I'll gouge out your eyes with a spoon. A rusty spoon. That was used to eat beef stew. That way you'll get food poisoning, and go blind.)

"And for you, miss?"

"Same." Said Amy.

They both accepted their glasses, and turned back to the railing.

"Well," said Kyo, Here's to another great year of racing."

"Cheers." Said Amy, and they drank. They were silent for a minute, and then Amy had to ask. "Are your teammates your brother and sister?"

He laughed. "No, we're all cousins. The Sohmei family is huge and really old. In fact our first ancestor was supposedly the emperor who created the Chinese Zodiac."

"Really?" said Amy, "that's really cool! What animal year are you?"

"I was born in the year of the cat." Said Kyo, suddenly solemn

"There is no year of the cat!" She said.

"Yeah there is. It's what we call being born between 11:00 P.M and Midnight on Chinese New Year between the Years of the Goat and the Rat." (A.N. I know it's not accurate to the Chinese zodiac, but bear with me.)

"Wow. I never knew that! Does that happen often?"

"More than you'd think it would." Said Kyo. The laughter had gone out of his voice, and Amy wondered what she had done wrong.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" he said, and his voice was normal again. "What animal are you?"

"I'm the goat!"

"…You're way too cute to be a goat."

Amy blushed bright red at that, and he stammered to finish. "P-Plus you don't seem to have horns."

"She chuckled. "I guess so."

"Kyo! Leave your girlfriend and get your ass over here, we're going!" Kagura Sohmei stood there with Haru, and was waving him over.

"Well, until next time, Miss Stapleton." Said Kyo, as he picked up Sora and put her on his shoulder. "Fuck You!" He yelled to Kagura as he turned back to Amy

"You can call me Amy. Hearing people call me by my last name feels weird."

"Well then, I'll catch you later Amy, but next time, hopefully not literally." He turned to his teammates, and left.

Amy just stood there, a light blush in her cheeks. "_You're way too cute to be a goat" _That one sentence floated through her mind. No one her age had EVER called her cute before. Smart? All the time. Cool? Sometimes. Weird? Plenty. But cute? HE was the first one to say she was cute, and the interesting thing was that she felt the same about him. His laughter filled, sparkling, cat-like eyes, his perfect smile, how he made her laugh so easily… "AMY!"

Liz was waving her hand in front of her face

"Huh?"

"Are you drunk or something?" Said Takeshi, who was standing right behind Liz

" Amy, we're leaving." Said Liz, glaring at Takeshi. He backed away slowly.

" R-right." Said Amy, following her teammates.

Kyo slid into the back of the limo waiting outside, and sat down in between his teammates.

"So," said Kagura, elbowing him in the side, "You have a girlfriend already, eh?

"S-she's not my girlfriend! We just met!" yelled Kyo.

"Whatever." Said Kagura. Kyo sat back, and thought.

"_She WAS really cute though. Why the hell did I say that! I must've sounded like a total idiot!"_

_"It's ok, onii-san. I'm sure you'll be fine together!_

_"AAARGH! I already said she's not my girlfriend."_

_"But you want her to be."_

_"SHUT UP! Anyways, what were you talking to Luca about? You two looked pretty friendly with each other."_

_"I-it wasn't anything… A-animal talk."_

_"Uh-huh," _Thought Kyo, skeptically. _"Whatever you say."_

Meanwhile, Amy was going through the exact same thing. Liz was interrogating her about Kyo, and internally, she was freaking out about the Sohmei forward.

_"Oh god, I bet he was just saying all that stuff to be nice. A guy like him wouldn't ever be interested in a plain, ordinary girl like me."_

_"Oh, get a hold of yourself, Amy! Kyo almost never took his eyes off you. I swear, Humans and their love lives. You make it so complicated and then moan about how love is hard. When you're a cat, you just find a nice female cat, mate, and have kittens, easy as that. No complicated courting, Dates, careful etiquette, breakups, parental issues, or marriage."_

_"Well, we're not all cats, Luca, although life would be a lot easier."_

_"Whatever."_

That night, one racer made a decision, and another, a declaration.

--

**A.N. **W00T! one chap down, however many more to go! you see the little button in the corner? no, not the X, the one that says review on it? Press the damn thing!


	2. Coincidence?

Chapter 2:

**Chapter 2:**

"**Coincidence?"**

"_Even without clocks, the sun will rise."_ _- __Captain (King of Bandits Jing)_

(One week later)

"_ Wake up, sleepyhead!"_

Amy opened her eyes, to find Luca lying on her stomach, as usual, and sunlight streaming in through her window. She guessed it was around 10 A.M.

"_What's the Ru-UU-sh_?" yawned Amy as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes

"_Well, did you go pick up groceries like you said you would last night!? We're out of cat food, and if that doesn't count as an emergency, what does!?"_ Luca hopped off the bed, but then turned to Amy, and added as an afterthought, _" Oh, and the fridge is empty."_

"SHIT!" Amy yelled as she scrambled out of bed, threw on some clean clothes, grabbed her bag, and dashed out the door.

Luca smiled a catlike grin. Everything was going according to plan. If cat's could laugh, Luca would've put every villain ever to shame with this one. He jumped up to the window to watch his handiwork.

(Break)

"_Ohayo, lazy-san!"_

Kyo sat up in bed, only to catch the beautiful golden sunlight… with his eyes. "Aaah, FUCK!" Yelled the Sohmei forward, trying to clear his vision. Sola responded with the bell-like mind laugh she always projected when amused.

"_Apparently, Amaterasu-sama doesn't like me very much."_ Said Kyo, trying to get rid of the spots in his vision.

_"No, she must not." _Replied the cat. "_By the way, onii-san, did you get those parts Shigure asked you to buy last night?_"

"_Dammit! I forgot! I'll be back in a bit!"_

Kyo jumped off his futon, threw on some clean clothes, slipped on his converse, grabbed his wallet, clipped it's chain into his belt loop, and ran out of the apartment. All of this was done in under 20 seconds. Sola sighed, in that aloof way that only cats can sigh. "_Really, onii-san can't remember anything. Oh well, Shigure will appreciate the parts at least."_ And with that, she curled up on Kyo's futon, and fell asleep.

(Break)

Kyo slid down the banister, to the bottom floor of team Sohmei headquarters, ran across the foyer, threw open the front doors, and grinded down the railing on the soles of his shoes. He decided to go to the nearest hardware store, and set off at a run, only to stop, as he had just realized that he had no idea what Shigure had wanted him to buy.

"Oh well. I'll just buy the usual stuff. He won't be too bothered."

He set off at a run again.

(Break)

Amy slowed to a walk a few blocks from her building, and looked around. She was on Market Street, so the nearest market was… on Sixth, next to the hardware store. She set off in the direction of Sixth Avenue.

Takeshi was still running. He turned the corner to Sixth, and bent down to catch his breath. After a few seconds, he looked up again, straight into the warm, brown eyes of- "Amy?"

"Kyo? What are you doing here?"

"I needed to pick up some parts for my uncle. You?"

"Food shopping."

"I'll go with you. I'm running low on udon."

" Okay, I was actually thinking of getting a few bottles of ink."

"Wow," said Kyo, "Coincidence or what?"

(Break)

"Hey, Amy," Said Kyo as they left the hardware store. Kyo had insisted on carrying Amy's bags for her, and Kyo's chivalry did nothing to worsen her opinion of him.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to go grab lunch? I-I mean it's noon, so I thought you might be hungry, and I didn't eat breakfast." He finished his statement with a blush on his face, and was amazed, and not to mention pleased, to see the same thing on Amy's cheeks.

"Yes!" She said, a little too quickly, and then "I mean, I didn't eat breakfast either." She blushed even redder. "_Is he asking me out_?"

"Cool! Uh, where do you want to go?"

"I dunno, I don't eat around here a lot."

"There's a good noodle shop around here."

"That sounds good."

They set off down the street, talking.

"So, is every member of team Sohmei related?" asked Amy, she wanted to know more about Kyo's family.

"Yeah. My uncle Shigure is the mechanic. He's an idiot, but he knows his way around a mech like no one else. his brother, Hatori is the team owner. He's a real tight-ass, and lectures me all the time.

"Who's your coach?"

"My oldest cousin, Ayame. He's pretty weird, but you get used to it after a while. Seems like everyone in my family's got problems."

They entered the noodle shop and sat down at the counter. The old man behind the counter turned around, and his eyes lit up at the sight of Kyo.

"Well, if it isn't my favorite customer. Who's your friend?"

"Oh, This is Amy Stapleton."

Ah, Team Satomi's midfielder. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, um…"

" I'm Akamatsu, but call me Aka, everyone does."

"Nice to meet you, Aka."

"What'll it be today, Kyo?"

"The usual."

"Right. One pork ramen coming up. And for you, miss?"

"Miso Ramen."

"Right."

They sat down at the counter, and Amy continued her questions.

"What about your teammates?"

" Well, Haru's just… Haru, I guess, and Kagura's like my older sister, but she's too loud. She's always dragging me out somewhere with her, trying to set me up with one of her friends every other week…" He trailed off, and looked at Amy. She was blushing.

"Has it ever worked?"

"Not really. I'm not the party type. I guess I'm just antisocial."

"Apparently not, considering you're here right now."

"I guess not."

"So what's up with Hatsuharu's nickname?" Asked Amy as their food was put down.

"You can call him Haru, by the way, he hates his full name. He's got multiple personalities. For some reason, whenever he gets in a mech, he changes, and turns sorta psycho. We just call him black Haru when he's like that."

"Whoa." Said Amy, she'd have to warn Liz.

"Yeah. So what about you, Amy, what's your team like?"

"Well, There's Takeshi and Liz. Takeshi's a speed freak, not meth, mph, as he likes to say, and he doesn't always follow our plan, but he's really good, and he doesn't get along with Liz at all, but I'm pretty sure that's just romantic tension."

"How so?"

"Well I'm pretty sure Liz likes Takeshi, but he's with Fantine, and Liz is sorta jealous. Also, I think the only way Liz can express herself is through violence."

'I feel bad for Takeshi."

Amy laughed. "Yeah. He gets beat up a lot."

Kyo finished his food, and stood up. "It's getting sorta late. We should go."

"Right." Amy stood up as well. Kyo pulled out his wallet. "It's ok, you don't need to pay for me!" said Amy hurriedly.

"Don't worry about it. It's good manners for the gentleman to pay for the lady." he put some bills down on the table, picked up their bags, and waved to Aka. "Thanks for the food, Old man!"

"Come back soon, you attract customers!"

"I'll keep that in mind."

"So, uhh, would it be ok if I walked you home? I-I mean, It would be pointless for me to have carried these bags for you all this time and then just give them to you and leave?"

"Sure" said Amy, a slight blush on her face. Kyo noticed that Amy did a lot of blushing whenever they talked, and hope rose in his chest.

"_Maybe…"_

They set off in the direction of Amy's house, talking about totally normal things.

"Jeez, I can't believe that you have a townhouse." Said Kyo, as they stood outside Amy's house."

"Yeah, it's really my parents', but since they're never home, I guess it's sort of mine." Kyo handed Amy her bags, and she turned towards the door, but a hand on her arm stopped her. She turned to Kyo, confused.

"Wait," he said, a little unnecessarily, "Ummmm, W-would you, uhh… would you, umm,

"Would I what?" asked Amy, but then chided herself internally. It looked like whatever Kyo was saying was hard for him to say, and teasing him wouldn't help. Kyo stopped muttering, took a deep breath, let it out, and looked Amy in the eye.

"Would you like to go to my next concert with me?"

Amy just stared at him, a little stunned. She hadn't expected anything like that. "I mean, it's ok if you don't want to. I just thought I'd ask…" He trailed off into silence, and started examining his shoes.

"I'd love to." Kyo looked up, surprise evident on his face.

"Really?"

"Well of course. I said yes, and I meant what I said."

A wide grin appeared on Kyo's face. "I'll pick you up at 5:30 on Saturday then. Bye, Amy!"

"Bye."

As Amy watched Kyo leave, the blush that she'd been working her hardest to hold back broke through, and she stood there, bright red.

"_Ohmygod ohmygod OHMYGOD! He actually asked me out I can't believe it!" _Amy rushed inside, and fulfilled the age-old female tradition of picking something to wear… two days before the date.

Kyo ran through the streets, but to him it felt more like he was flying on a cloud. "_She said yes! I can't wait for Saturday!" _He rushed towards the Team Sohmei HQ. He arrived there, only slightly out of breath, five minutes later. As he entered, he was stopped by a tall man with brown hair that covered one eye, wearing a suit.

"Where have you been, Kyo? You've been gone all afternoon." the man said, annoyed.

Kyo's cloud turned gray, then stormy, and then dissipated, leaving him falling out of the sky. "Since when was it any of your business to know what I do in my spare time, Hatori?"

"Since you joined this team and started living away from the complex. For as long as you are here I am to be your guardian."

"Kyo just gave a derisive sniff, and stomped off to his room, responding only to Hatori's yells of "Get back here, young man!" with the middle finger of his left hand, and only stopping to throw the parts into the mech bay.

He flopped down on his futon, surprising Sola, who had been napping in a sunbeam. "_Konichiwa, onii-san." _Yawned the cat, as she jumped to the floor and walked over to Kyo.

"_Konichiwa,"_ replied Kyo, grumpy.

"_Hatori again?"_

"_Yeah. He just never leaves me alone, but he doesn't even care. He just wants to keep his reputation."_

"_You were out for a long time. What happened?"_

"_Oh, I met Amy."_ Kyo cheered up at his own words, and Sola gave a little cat smirk.

"_Really? What a coincidence."_

"_Yeah, I know. We grabbed lunch, and I actually asked her to go to our next concert!"_

"_Really? That's great, onii-san!"_

"_Yeah."_

Kyo flopped back on his futon, and closed his eyes. He would give Amy his best concert ever…


	3. Under the Cherry blossoms

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

**Under the Cherry Blossoms **

_Lesson #3: If you see a stranger, Follow him"_ _- __Ed (Cowboy Bebop)_

_Amy awoke on Saturday to sunlight, her bed, and Luca. Considering the fact that she always woke up to this and that she had been out late last night, it's still surprising that it took her so long to remember what day it was. After the five-minute yawning and stretching exercises, mandatory for all teens whenever they wake up, Amy finally looked at her calendar. The Xs went up to the…24__th__… "OHMYGOD!" Yelled Amy, causing Luna to jump literally 5 feet in the air. He stood there, fur on end._

_"Where's the burglar?" __ He said angrily._

_"Today's the 24__th__!" __squealed Amy_

_"Oh. And that's sooooo special because?"__ Luca got sarcastic in the mornings_

_"Silly, it's my date with Kyo! I can't wait! I've never heard him play before."_

_"I know. That's the 37__th__ time you've said that in the past two days. You know, I never marked you as that sort of girl."_

_"No idea what you're talking about."_

_Luca would have sweatdropped at Amy's unusually girlish antics, but he was a cat, and it would be unbecoming. He settled for a tail twitch._

_"Well," __he said sarcastically, __"There's only 7 hours till he picks you up. Why don't you just get ready now, and hope he'll be freakishly early?"_

_"Not funny."_

_"Meh. You might as well do __**something.**__"_

_"Yeah. You're right. I'll grab something to eat."__ Amy grabbed some clothes and left the room, humming._

_Luca actually __**did**__ sweatdrop this time. __"Okay. Amy is __**definitely **__not normal today."_

_Amy pirouetted (yes, actually pirouetted) into the living room, a piece of toast in her mouth. Nothing could ruin this day. For the past week and two days, Kyo had filled her mind, and the only thing she was positive about was that this wasn't like anything she had ever known. Still twirling, she collapsed on the couch and gave a contented sigh. Luca walked in, took one look at Amy lying on the couch grinning like an idiot, turned right around and left. __"Jeez. It's like she's on drugs… Yeah. That sounds about right. A drug called Kyo Sohmei. This worked way better than I thought."_

_(Break)_

_"Right."__ Thought Kyo to Sola as he put down his pen and stood up from his desk. __"That's done. I've got about… 3 hours to practice."__ He plugged in his black and red guitar, and tuned it down to drop d. " 'Freedom', Rage against the Machine", He called out, and his, as he called it, Ubёr Stereo, began to play. He had bought it with the money from his first concert, and used it all the time. It was one of his prized possessions, along with his guitars, mech, and a few other objects. He started to sing as he played._

Solo, I'm a soloist on a solo list  
All live, never on a floppy disk  
Ink, ink, bottle of ink  
Paintings of rebellion  
Drawn up by the thoughts I think…

(Break)

Kyo stood outside the door of Amy's townhouse, trying to compose himself. He was nervous, more nervous than he had been on any date Kagura had set him up on, but that was because, this time, for once, he actually cared. He took another deep breath, and knocked.

(Break)

Amy was sitting at her mirror, putting the finishing touches on her outfit, with Luca giving advice from her bed.

_" No, not that much, you'll freak him out. Ok, that's good, now, go easy on the-"_

_"LUCA!"_ Amy mind screamed, _"I'm nervous as hell already, and you're not helping too much!"_

_"Right. Point taken. I'll shut up."_

Amy took several deep breaths, and then, five knocks.

"OHMYGOD, he's here." Screamed Amy, and yelled down the customary, "I'll be down in a second!" Which translated roughly to, "I'm gonna need 5-10 minutes to make sure everything's perfect." Kyo sighed. He'd heard that line before, and knew it's meaning all to well. 4 minutes and 43 seconds later, Amy stood at the front door. She took a deep breath, and opened the door. "Hey." They both said at the same time.

"Y-you look nice." Said Kyo, a small blush on his face. He looked Amy up and down. She looked like a completely different girl, but it was **definitely** not a bad thing. She wore a small black jean jacket with small ornamental angel wings on the back, over a dark purple shirt. Under that was a short black skirt with a studded leather belt set at an angle over dark purple leggings and semi heels. Her hair was down, but with two black ribbons twining through it, and her bangs were held back with a cat head hairclip. Her lips were painted dark purple, almost black, and she wore a choker with a heart hanging from it. Basically, Kyo was blown away. He'd never seen Amy like this, and fervently hoped that the change wasn't temporary. "Really nice."

She smiled, and her so nice personality showed itself. It was a nice combination, and Kyo stood there, speechless for a moment. "Thanks," she said, "So do you."

(Amy's POV)

I looked my date up and down, my face slightly red. He wore his black and orange pants over leather motorcycle boots, a black dress shirt under a gray pinstriped vest, and a fedora with a black feather in the band. His hair was combed down over his eyes, and spiked out under his hat. I could see that he put a lot of thought into the outfit, and pulled it off really well.

(Third person)

"Shall we go, m'lady?" Said Kyo, offering his arm.

"Yes. We shall." Amy took the proffered arm and Kyo led her down the steps to where a black and red Lotus Exige was waiting. They climbed in, and Kyo turned the key. With a growl, the engine came to life. Kyo revved it up a few times, and then they were off, engine screaming. "This is amazing!" Amy exclaimed as they sped through the streets towards the concert hall.

"I know," replied Kyo, "I bought this with the money from our first album sales, and Shigure and I soupped it up and supercharged it." Kyo looked over at Amy again. He'd been sneaking glances at her the whole time they'd been driving, he just couldn't get enough, but, wisely, he decided to focus on the road.

They reached the concert hall on time, but Kyo drove them straight around back to a separate parking lot. Amy looked at him quizzically. "I started doing this after my second concert. I thought I'd be smart, and get there really early to avoid the press, but the rabid fangirls were already there. Since then, I've avoided the main entrance altogether."

"Ah. Sounds like a smart move. I know about the press, but are the fangirls really that bad?"

"You have **no** idea."

"I'll take you're word for it."

Kyo got out, and opened Amy's door for her. She accepted his hand, and climbed out. "_He's such a gentleman…"_

"Hey, let's get inside before the crazy people find out where we are."

"M'kay."

They rushed inside a back entrance to the audience. Amy was about to go find her seat, when she felt a tug on her wrist. She turned around, and Kyo put a badge around her neck.

"It's your backstage pass. You can only go into the dressing rooms if you have this."

"Thanks Kyo."

"Go there after the show. If I'm not there, then I'll be out front. I have to go get ready, so I'll se you later."

"Right." Amy just stood there as Kyo disappeared, but she quickly snapped out of it, and went to find her seat. She was up in the front, thanks to her V.I.P pass. She went to her spot and waited for the show to begin. She noticed that she got a lot of looks from guys on the way to her seat, and she had noticed Kyo looking at her in the car. _"Do I really look that good like this? I guess Judy was right about the clothes."_

All of the sudden, a roar filled the concert hall. Amy looked up to see Kyo standing at the front of the stage, a black and red guitar around his neck. He was flanked by Kagura, who was doing a last minute tuning of her base, Haru, who was standing behind his keyboard, emotionless as ever, and a boy Amy had never met, with dark gray hair, and gray eyes, standing with his dark blue guitar in hand. A group of girls in the 10th row started screaming "Yuki!", and he raised a hand in acknowledgement. In the back, at the drums, was a younger boy with dirty blond hair and light brown eyes.

"Wassup?" yelled Kyo into the microphone, going through the mandatory pre-concert cheering. "For those of you who don't know, we're called "Dead for a Week", but then again, if you didn't know that, you probably don't have a reason for being here." Laughter. There was some waving of_ "I love you, Kyo!" _posters, but he took no notice. "Without further ado, this first song is called 'Maintain Consciousness'…"

Our concentration, it contains a deadly flaw,  
our conversations change from words to blah, blah, blah.  
We took prescription drugs, but look how much good that did.  
Well I think I had a point, but I just got distracted…

Amy was mesmerized, as were the whole audience, by the band. They were so good, but Kyo was by far the best. Amy had never heard any guy sing as well as Kyo Sohmei was right this minute, and, god, could he play! The rest of the concert was equally amazing until, unavoidably, Kyo stepped up to the mike, and said, "This is, unfortunately, our last song for tonight. It's a song that's not on any of the albums, and it's called 'Vindicated'"

Hope, dangles on a string,  
Like slow spinning redemption.  
Winding in, and winding out,  
The shine of which has caught my eye.

And roped me in,  
So mesmerizing, so hypnotizing  
I am captivated, I am…

Vindicated!  
I am selfish.  
I am wrong!  
I am right,  
I swear I'm right,  
Swear I knew it all along,

and I am flawed,  
But I am cleaning up so well,  
I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself.

So clear,  
Like the diamond in your ring,  
Cut to mirror your intentions,  
Oversized, and overwhelmed,  
the shine of which has caught my eye.  
And rendered me so isolated, so motivated,  
I am certain now that I am…

Vindicated,  
I am selfish,  
I am wrong!  
I am right!  
I swear I'm right!  
Swear I knew it all along.

And I am flawed,  
But I am cleaning up so well,  
and I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself.

So turn,  
up the corners of your lips.  
Part them and feel my fingertips.  
Trace the moment, fall forever.  
Defenses paper thin,  
just, one touch and I'd be in.  
Too deep now to ever swim against the current,  
so let me slip away!

So let me slip away!

So let me slip away!

So let me slip, against the current.  
And let me slip away!  
And let me slip away!  
And let me slip away!

And let me slip away!

Vindicated,

I am selfish,

I am wrong!

I am right,

I swear I'm right,

Swear I knew it all along.

And I am flawed,

But I am cleaning up so well,

I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw your self…

Slight hope,

Dangles on a string,

Like slow spinning redemption…

Applause filled the stadium like the revving of a giant engine, as Kyo and the band put down their instruments and left the stage, waving to fans. Amy stood up. She couldn't wait to see Kyo, to tell him how great the concert was. She hurried to the back, and flashed her badge to an enormous man standing in front of the door to the dressing rooms. He waved her through, and she walked past rows of doors, until she found one labeled "Kyo Sohmei". She knocked, but there was no response. Amy opened the door a crack, and peered inside. The room was empty, but there was a note on the desk. Her natural curiosity took over, and Amy opened the door wide, stepped in, and picked up the note. Unfolding it, she read,

_Amy,_

_Meet me in the park. Take the back way out. It's quicker, and less crowded. _

_See you in a bit. _

_-Kyo_

Amy put the message down, and left the room, shutting the door behind her. She left through the back, as Kyo instructed, and made her way to the park. The moon was almost full, and let off plenty of light, making the streetlamps half pointless. She made her way around the lake in the center of the green expanse surrounded by the silver and lights of the city. There, under a streetlamp, near the traditional cherry trees planted on the north side of the lake, was Kyo. He was staring out at the water, and Amy joined him. They stood in silence a moment before either of them said anything.

"It's pretty." Amy spoke softly, as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the scene.

"Yeah, it is." Kyo murmured back, then he turned to Amy. "I need your opinion on something, Amy."

"Okay, what is it?" Amy asked, a bit apprehensive there was a feeling in the back of her head. The kind she got when something bad was going to happen.

"Well, there's a girl I like," Amy's heart stopped, and she suddenly felt like running. She dropped her head. Of course it wasn't her! She was much too plain. She looked back up at Kyo only after making sure the tears weren't there.

"And?"

Well, she's beautiful, smart, and just plain amazing, but I don't know if she likes me or not. What should I do? Tell her how I feel, or just keep it to myself?" But Kyo already had his answer. He had found it with Amy's act of disappointment.

"Well, that's easy. Tell her how you feel. If you don't even let her know, you'll never have a chance."

"Ok, thanks, Amy." He said, and suddenly, his hand was under her chin, tilting her face up, and his face was inches from hers. Amy just stood there. Her brain just wasn't registering anything right now. "I guess I will tell her how I feel." whispered Kyo, and then he kissed her.

Amy's eyes opened wide, but then her brain finally caught up with her, and her mouth softened into his. She felt his arms snake around her hips and pull her into him, and his tongue flitted against her painted lips, begging entry. She complied, and their tongues met. They touched, tentatively, like animals meeting for the first time, then began an intricate dance, twisting around each other. 40 seconds in, and Kyo already knew Amy's mouth like the back of his hand, as she knew his, and yet they still explored. They only broke apart when the oxygen ran out, though neither wanted to. They stood there, holding each other for a second before Kyo spoke. "Sorry, I never told you how I felt about you. I got a bit sidetracked." Amy giggled, and he whispered in her ear, "_I love you, Amy."_

Amy gave a huge smile, and looked at Kyo. "It's a bit unnecessary at this point, but so do I!" and she kissed them again. When they broke apart, Kyo suggested that they adjourn to the bench. Amy, of course, had no objections.


	4. First Clash

Chapter 4:

**Chapter 4:**

**First Clash**

"How did I pass? She beat me like I owed her money! " _- Ichigo (Bleach)_

_Kyo, Kagura, and Haru passed into the sunlight and camera flashes of the spectator belt, waving to the crowd. Resplendent in their racing suits, Haru's white, Kagura's dark red, and Kyo's pitch black, they waved. Kagura blew kisses to her admirers, her usual public outburst. Haru just cracked his knuckles, and Kyo bobbed his head to the music he constantly listened to while racing. The heavy beat pounded into his soul, singing_

The microphone explodes, shattering the molds  
Either drop tha hits like de la O or get tha fuck off tha commode  
Wit tha sure shot, sure ta make tha bodies drop  
Drop an don't copy yo, don't call this a co-op  
Terror rains drenchin', quenchin' tha thirst of tha power dons  
That five sided fist-a-gon  
Tha rotten sore on tha face of mother earth gets bigger  
Tha triggers cold empty ya purse

Hatori's words echoed in his ears. "Listen up. You are going out there to win, and nothing less, understand?" He went right up to Kyo's face, "understand?"

"sir, yes sir." Replied Kyo, sarcastically.

He shook the unpleasantness from his thoughts, and climbed into his mech, the heavy armor folding over him

Rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells  
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells  
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells  
They rally round tha family! With a pocket full of shells

He stepped out onto the track, his obsidian black mech's silver features glimmering in the sunlight

Bulls on parade!

The three angular, black mechs stepped up to the painted start line, scarred by countless past laps. The mechs were a marvel, custom constructed for the team by Lockheed-Martin. Kyo turned his mech's head toward the red mech to his left, and gunned his engine, the drive rings revving over 12000 rpm, his engine screaming

_"this is no time for grandstanding, onii-san." _said Sola from her special seat behind Kyo's head.

_"fine." _Pouted Kyo, and let his engine die, just as the count began.

3…

Kyo put his mech into it's ready position, a runner's starting position, but with both arms splayed out behind it, like an arrow.

2…

The booster skirt on his mech lifted up, ready to be used.

1…

All of the drivers tensed, waiting for that magic word…

GO!

All the mechs, black and red, shot out of the starting gate, winding around each other to get into formation. Kyo quickly maneuvered his team into the standard delta formation, but more streamlined, tighter. The first lap was uninteresting, with team Sohmei just keeping the lead over Edgeraid, the two teams testing the waters, feeling the track. Kyo drifted another corner with a yell of exhilaration. Racing was everything. Racing was fun, it was exciting, it was exhilarating…and it could let him forget.

The mechs crossed the finish line, and the battle round began. "All right! Let's do this!" Yelled Kyo, and unsheathed 3, meter long claws from each wrist, and changed his music. Quick jazz flooded through the cabin, and his mech's rhythm changed. It grew more sporadic, it was random, and it was pissing off Bjorn. The Team Edgeraid forward lunged at Kyo's mech, blade arm raised. Kyo just lifted his claws, twisted them, and caught the arm. He twisted even further, and the tip of the mech's arm shattered, splinters of red and silver cascading onto the track.

"Would you look at that!" Benjamin Bright's voice flooded the track and stands. Kyo Sohmei's mech just shattered Bjorn's mech's arm! That has to be a first for team Edgeraid! How will they tackle this powerful new team?

_"Bjorn! Use the edge monsoon! We can't afford to toy with this guy!" _thought Sola. Bjorn nodded, and put his mech into a spin.

"Oh, wow! Bjorn's using his trump card early in the game! He must really want to beat them!" yelled Bright.

"The Edge monsoon, eh? Well I'll show you a special technique of my own!" Yelled Kyo. He waited until the rapidly spinning mech was feet away, and batted it. Hard. The mech flew backwards, and Takeshi activated his booster skirt, and dashed towards the mech at speeds over 450mph. He turned around, just to catch the red mech… with a backhand that sent it flying up 15 feet. Kyo activated his booster skirt once again, flying up over the mech. He appeared behind the Edgeraid machine, and Axe kicked it back onto the track. Luckily, his communicator was connected to the giant view screens near the finish line so that everyone could hear the name of the technique… "_Torii-giri."_

"These guys aren't worth fighting. Let's leave them in the dust." Said Kyo, and Haru and Kagura left the heavily dented remaining Edgeraid mechs, and joined hands with Kyo's mech, forming a large arrow, and Kagura and Haru activated their booster skirts, and the trio took off at speeds exceeding 500 mph. after 60 seconds, the boosters fizzled out, but their lead and formation made it impossible for Edgeraid to keep up. At the finish line, it was Sohmei, Sohmei, Sohmei, Demarco, Bullit. The race was over, and the remembrance came.


End file.
